Just finished this and god damn what a great game. The attention

not retro, but give aria of sorrow and circle of the moon a try if you want more of the same

>>4062212
Final Boss was a bit of a letdown for me, but I was autistic enough to grind the dodo for two runeswords. Really ruins the challenge, but damn, does it look cool.

>>4062218
Also Harmony of Dissonance, Dawn of Sorrow and especially Order of Ecclesia. Never liked Portrait of Ruin much, though.

>>4062212
Really? Its just metroid with xp and random loot and zero balance

>>4062228
I finished with the last alucard sword, two gauntlets, & 99 magic missiles. Very fucking cool. I learned a while ago grinding ruins some games

>>4062212
> it was made in a time where publishers were not bearing down on overstuffed projects with rigid deadlines. Games are definitely not put together with this kind of craftsmanship these days.


Are you out of your mind? The game is glitchy and unbalanced as fuck exactly because of development time.

>>4062237
I only saw one glitch during my whole playthrough, and it wasn't game breaking, it was pretty amusing. I gotta admit I don't know much about the development of the game but it felt very well put together.

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A hater with 20 years of hindsight can hate on anything.
This game is atmospheric and FUN. Fist of Tulkas plus Blue Knuckle.

>>4062212
Still one of my favs, I've gone back and played this game again more times than I care to admit. Dunno what it is about this game, but whatever it is I like it.

>>4062320
Been playing with fist of tulkas on my last playthrough, its super fun

>>4062228
>Order of Ecclesia

If I play Order of Ecclesia before I play Symphony of the Night will my experience of SotN be ruined?

>>4063534
Nah, OoE isn't like SoTN or any of the other Metroidvanias on GBA/DS since it's a linear affair. Harmony of Dissonance, on the other hand, is a blatant copy of SoTN, so don't play that one before it.

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SOTN is in my top 5 best games ever made.
Period.

I consider AoS to be equal to SOTN in many ways, and i also worship OoE, even tho i realize OoE is more controversial and takes some time to get used to and truly appreciate what it does well, even if it's different.

SOTN + AoS + OoE truly make for a patrician trinity and playing them back to back is like getting a wonderful, relaxing oil massage ending in a nice moist handjob finish.
They're such good experiences it's like a vacation for your brain from all your troubles.

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>>4062320
Hitting shit with fist weapons in castlevania games feels great.

>>4063693
>female protag
Shit.

>>4063693
>I consider AoS to be equal to SOTN in many ways

Aria of Sorrow ?

>>4063708
Calm your tits, fedora.
She's essentially emotionless and more or less asexual for most of the game, her snatch doesn't really come into play.
>>4063710
Yeah.

People who haven't played or don't like the good CV games are anti-gamers who hate video games. Kusoningen.

>>4063714
>the good CV games
So basically the pre-Symphony games

>>4063714
>>4063718
Herewefuckingoagain.exe

>>4062212
Funny that you would say this anon. I played this game too and for some weird reason my copy of symphony of the night was a through and through mediocre crap game. Funny how we got completely different games.

Elder God Tier:
Symphony of the Night

High Tier:
Portrait of Ruin
Circle of the Moon

Mid Tier:
Vampire Killer
Aria of Sorrow
Order of Ecclesia

Low Tier:
Simon's Quest
Dawn of Sorrow
Harmony of Dissonance

Shit Tier:
Order of Shadows

>>4063725
Portrait should be low tier

>>4063725

Elder God Tier:
Symphony of the Night

High Tier:
Aria of Sorrow
Order of Ecclesia
Circle of the Moon

Mid Tier:
Vampire Killer

Low Tier:
Simon's Quest
Dawn of Sorrow
Harmony of Dissonance
Portrait of Ruin

Shit Tier:
Order of Shadows

>>4062320

Where the fuck do you get Iron Fist? Frist time I've heard of that.

>>4063734
Dropped by werewolves.

>>4063727
Amazing bosses and the best extra mode puts it in high for me, desu.

>>4063736
>Dropped by werewolves.

Oh, it's another inverted castle area. Yeah, that's why. It seems like you can't take 5 steps without an enemy that drops some game breakingly powerful weapon in there.

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>>4063740
Eh, i guess.
It's not a good way to judge a game overall, fixating on specific elements.

For example i absolutely love Maxim mode in Harmony of Dissonance, i think it's probably some of the most fun you can have in a castlevania game, period.
But i don't let that single element cloud my judgment to the point where i would consider HoD anything but sub mediocre.

>>4063749
I feel the same way about Dawn and its Julius mode. To be honest, each DS CV was disappointing in its own away, but they did each have something that redeemed them.

Fan translation or WHAT IS A MAN dialog, /vr/?

>>4063760
>each DS CV was disappointing in its own away

I don't consider OoE disappointing at all.
It just has an issue of reused assets but that's about it, every other design decisions makes sense once you actually get used to it.
The initial reaction to it is negative because it's so different, once you get into it's rythm you start to realize just how good it actually is.

>>4063763
WHAT IS A MAN.

I understand the original japanese dialogue was legit good, but our version is just too iconic at this point.
If that makes me a meme shitter, then so be it.

>>4063538
OoE is linear until you reach the superb compact Dracula castle.

Really loved that part of the game, felt so fresh and satisfying to finally get there while still feeling faithful to all predecessors.

>>4063763
Official subtitles with original japanese voice acting from the PSP ver.

>>4062212
it reused alot of sprites and other assets, still fantastic

>>4063725
I thought Harmony of Dissonance was great. It is the spiritual sucessor of SotN. I don't know why i always enjoy the ones that get the most shit,

>>4063768
>>4063763
http://legendsoflocalization.com/lets-investigate-a-miserable-pile-of-secrets/

>>4064059
>I don't know why I always enjoy the ones that get the most shit
Same here. It copied the general aesthetic of SotN, fixed the level scaling, had a the next biggest line up of well done bosses, and the progression was much more structured with both castles being entwined with none of the headache inducing farming of the other Igavanias. Besides chiptunes and a general lack of superficial verity that the other games have, I thought it was a great addition to the series and much more worthwhile than both Circle of the Moon and Aria of Shadow, which are both short, less focused, and less visually appealing.

>>4062212
I was so dissappointed in this game. I played it after Hollow Knight because some people were telling me it's still the best Metroidvania but it was just a huge letdown.

It's not a bad game but people call it a 10/10 when it's really an 8/10.

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Man, they really dropped the ball with the American boxart. I get that Konami of America were frightened of bishōnen boy scaring away sells but you think they would have been a little less lazy then generic moonlit castle illuminated by a lightning strike. It's not like it was a huge hit either way. At least the PAL and Japanese coverart still looks great all these years later

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>>4064087
Don't you be calling the Mont St Michel generic man.

Had you been there you wouldn't.

>>4063763
>WHAT IS A MAN dialog
This. Not too fond of the other voices, but Dracula is great.

>>4064241
I felt like the voice acting improved as the game came closer to the end. But even with the slightly cringe inducing actors the dialogue had some good moments. The "WHAT IS A MAN" line honestly made me go "ooh damn" for a second. It's a good line.

>>4064987
see >>4064063

>UPDATE: It turns out the miserable pile of secrets quote is originally by the French writer André Malraux!

So basically, they really messed up the dialogue and the only good line was not even original.

>>4065061
>any game that quotes something based on someone else
"Oh! Genius! I couldn't see this coming oh my goodness what a purrfect game!!!"

>If the game is SOTN

"Lol this game is so lame 100% generic mfw newfags dont understand what castlevania is"

>>4064092
Different poster, but around 18 years ago I went. It's crap. Lots of shops hawking crap like quicksilva t-shirts and swords and shite. The view is okay from the top etc. Pretty dull though. I actually only remembered that I went when I read your silly post.

>>4062212
I think the best recommendation to EVERYONE in the thread is to play LandonRay's Hardtype romhack for SOTN. It changes the health and damage scaling of almost all enemies and items, re-balancing an already beautiful game into a fine-tuned masterpiece.
SOTN is often considered one of the GOAT games, but the biggest issue people have is how skewed the game is in favor of the player, who has a significant stat advantage over enemies and access to an armory of OP items. After the first few bits of the game, Alucard is easily capable of stomping almost anything the castle has to throw at him. This hack instead turns the game into a tight dungeon-crawling experience, where the potions and food you pick up will actually matter instead of sitting in your inventory the whole game.
Don't want to sperg too much about it, please do try it if you like SOTN (or wanted to like SOTN).

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>>4062230
I loved the part in Metroid where you play through the game again but as inverse with new enemies. And all the weapon and item variations in Metroid.

>>4065082
Whoa bro, not what I meant. I love SOTN but even I have to admit the dialogue is goofy and the dub outright atrocious.

>>4065501
>4065501
It's shitty romhack that defines "hard" solely as "enemies have lots of health and you deal little dammage". Ill be intrested when there's a romhack that introduces more clever enemy placement and level design.

>>4063725
>Sotn God tier
>AoS mid tier
>PoR high tier
>OoE mid tier
literally the worst list

>>4062212
EZPZ, play a real castle mania

>>4066039
>the dub outright atrocious.
That's part of its charm, though. It was a constant with games of that era.

>>4066842
I don't think you've played it, then. Hardly any enemies in the hack feel like damage sponges, it's just that Aluzard no longer is one hiself (meaning you have to avoid getting hit now). You're right that shifting health and damage values is mostly what the mod is about (outside of nerfing some of the more broken items), but that is exactly what SotN needed. SotN is a beautifully crafted game, but it is far too balanced in Alucard's favor in terms of raw numbers. Fixing that issue lets the actual gameplay shine through, because the player is actually required to interact with and master mechanics to succeed, instead of sloppily face-tanking attacks while secure in their character being a natural demigod compared to most enemies. It sounds odd, but shifting the damage and health really does improve the gameplay feel and flow of the game.

>>4063971

I am listening to order of ecclesias music and its absolutely fantastic. Ill check it out anon.

>>4070057

Ill check out that hack thanks for recommending.

I think it makes sense why the games balance is in favor of alucard, hes a lot stronger than any belmont.

>>4070205
It may feel alien and very different when you first pick it up, especially coming from the other IGAvanias. But soon enough you'll realize how well it is crafted and how the deviations are a refreshing departure from the standard formula, while the core gameplay still scratches that particular Metroidvania itch. Granted, it is more linear at certain points, but still a highly enjoyable experience.

Man, I played that shit so hard, at the very end I could beat Dracula (honestly, what did you expect?) with a total of three hits.

>>4070213
That was my self rationalization for it as well. Alucard is a powerful vampire, the Belmonts/Morrises/whoever are just musclebound dudes with a magic whip

>>4062212
All right, I want to get into the series.
Where should I start?

>>4071535
Depends. Classic-vania or IGA-vania?

>>4071535
1,3,4, Dracula X, Bloodlines, Rondo of Blood and the GB/GBC games are all linear platformers with simple combat

S of the Night and every heldheld onwards besides the Rondo of Blood PSP port are like Metroid with RPG elements

2 is like an awkward middle ground between the two with a non-linear overworld minus the RPG elements

So depending on your tastes either start with 1 or Symphony of the Night

>>4071548
Thanks, I'll look into it.

>>4065107
maybe you just didn't appreciate it. are the sotn levels/design influenced by the castle?

>>4071535
If you like video games work your way up from 1 to 3
If you like metroidvanias SotN

>>4066039
>even I have to admit the dialogue is goofy and the dub outright atrocious.
Yeah thats true